Seton Hall blown out by Vanderbilt in Charleston Classic: ‘I need someone to handle the … damn ball’

Seton Hall’s offense wasn’t good, and their defense wasn’t much better.
Despite a career-high 20 points from sophomore Isaiah Coleman, the Pirates couldn’t back up their impressive win over VCU in overtime and were blown out by undefeated Vanderbilt, 76-60, in the Charleston Classic semifinals Friday night.
The Commodores (6-0) — who were picked last in the SEC — advanced to face fellow unbeaten Drake (5-0) n Sunday’s championship game after the Bulldogs beat Florida Atlantic, 75-63, in the first semifinal.
The Pirates (3-3) will next play FAU in the third-place game Sunday (6 p.m., ESPN2).
“We got beat, beat like a drum,” Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway said in his post-game radio interview. “Give those guys credit, they drove the ball down our throat.
“It wasn’t great, it wasn’t great, I’ll tell you that.”
The Hall continued to struggle offensively as it’s become more and more clear that this team lacks a true point guard. They dished 11 assists against 16 turnovers and VCU scored 19 points off turnovers.
“I need somebody to handle the goddamn ball,” Holloway said in his post-game radio interview following the VCU game. “I need somebody to handle the ball and just be steady.”
It’s unclear where the Pirates go for point guard help. Providence transfer Garwey Dual (0 points, 2 assists) has not been effective and spends a lot of time dribbling on the perimeter before initiating the offense.
Dylan Addae-Wusu (6 points, 3 assists) plays hard, but is not a natural point guard.
Chaunce Jenkins, The Hall’s leading scorer, can initiate the offense at times, but needs to get the ball back in the offense. He managed just 3 points on 1-of-7 shooting before fouling out after erupting for a season-high 22 in the VCU game.
“Anything’s possible right now because we can’t keep going like this,” Holloway said of his point guard situation on the radio after the game. “We gotta figure something out.”
The Commodores, who have 13 new players under first-year coach Mark Byington, came in shooting 30 3′s per game, and converted 10-of-27 from deep.
The Hall shot 7-of-21 from beyond the arc.
Virginia Tech transfer Tyler Nickel destroyed The Hall from deep, pouring in 24 points while shooting 6-of-11 from 3-point land.
“No matter where they were before, they’re with us now and they want to win at Vanderbilt,” Byington said of his transfers on ESPN.
The game was tied at 15 in the first half before Vanderbilt rattled off an 11-0 run to take charge.
After taking a 38-28 halftime lead, the Commodores outscored The Hall 38-32 after the break.
“I’m going to end the conversation because I know I’m going to say something that’s not good for my players,” Holloway said on the radio, “or for me.”
FREE THROWS
The crowd included 11 family members of the late Richie Regan, for whom the Seton Hall Athletic Center is named…The Hall entered shooting 57% from the foul line.
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.